Atlanta — Charlotte upset Atlanta 115-114 on Wednesday night as Miles Bridges made a layup with 3.8 seconds left, spoiling Trae Young's finger injury return. Young had 14 points and 11 assists in 21 minutes while making all five of his field goal attempts after missing 23 games due to a damaged left pinkie ligament. He missed the fourth quarter.
“My hand feels good,” Young remarked. Brandon Miller led Hornets with 27 points. Bridges scored 18 as the Hornets rallied from a 92-77 hole entering the fourth quarter. Steve Clifford, who resigned on April 3, told his players to "just keep going, possession by possession" in the fourth quarter. They did well. They held their cool and made several late plays.”
Atlanta's Bogdan Bogdanovic and Vit Krejci each scored 19 points in their fourth straight loss. The Hawks, 10th in the Eastern Conference, missed a last-second shot to pull within a half-game of No. 9 Chicago for a play-in tournament home game. Trent Forrest missed.
The Hornets led 111-108 when Forrest scored his only six points to give Atlanta a 114-111 lead with 34 seconds left. Two Miller free throws trimmed the lead to one.
Young was hurt Feb. 23, had surgery Feb. 27, and returned to practice Monday. Coach Quin Snyder strictly controlled Young's minutes. “He seemed comfortable to me,” Snyder said, adding that Young's 21 minutes through three quarters was a training staff cap.
Young hid his surgically healed finger with a black brace on his left hand. He first showed the wrap wouldn't hamper his shooting by sinking a deep shot on the Hawks' bench during pregame drills.
Under two minutes into the game, Young scored on a drive and left-handed layup. “I didn’t do that on purpose,” Young added. I suppose I did. Natural for me.” Young hopes to play a typical number of minutes by the team's last regular-season game.
Five 3-pointers gave Bogdanovic a team-record 235 for the season. The previous record was 233 3s by Young in 2021-22. Is it not obvious that I wanted him to pass me? Young inquired about his aids. The Hawks' Dylan Windler set a season high with 12 points and four 3-pointers.
The Hornets' Tre Mann had 16 points, seven assists, and a career-high seven steals. Even with Young starting, the Hawks were short-handed. Dejounte Murray (right quad contusion), De'Andre Hunter (rest), and Jalen Johnson (right ankle sprain) missed the game. The Hornets will play in Boston on Friday before closing their season at Cleveland on Sunday.
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